As young, whiney teenagers, many of us wanted to run across the country to get away from our parents. When it came time to apply for colleges, the majority of us stayed within two hours or so from home, while some completed the dream of going far away. For some, the choice was simple, easy, cost efficient or even free.
Going to an in-state school is more cost efficient than an out of state school while going to a college or university a parent works at is free. Compare a free tuition a student can have if a parent works for the college or university to the $200,000 of loans the average college student owes after graduation.
“Cost was honestly the only reason I attended Cabrini and didn’t apply anywhere else,” Bryan Janowski, senior marketing major, said. Janowski’s mom works in the Admissions office at Cabrini College.
Senior exercise science major Tom Small agreed the perks of a free tuition made choosing a school easier but also said having a mother who works as an education secretary helped him determine his future.
“She pointed me in the direction of Dr. Verde which helped me choose my major. She knows all of the professors and that made it much easier to choose classes,” Small said.
Small followed in the footsteps of his older brother, sister and mom who all attended Cabrini.
“Knowing the campus beforehand and the professors made my decision that much easier,” Small said.
Like Small, Dijana Ilic, sophomore marketing major, also followed in her older sister’s footsteps.
“My sister attended Cabrini so it definitely influenced me to apply but the main reason was the tuition,” Ilic said. With a mother working at Cabrini, Ilic receives free tuition, but not room and board. “I decided to stay close to home for my four years of undergrad study and then go out of state for my MBA,” Ilic said.
Homesickness, a common problem for many college students, is less problematic for those who can walk across campus to pay a visit to parents.
Ilic said it is nice to be able to get dinner after classes or stop in and see her mom in the SEaL office whenever she wants.
“I don’t have to wait until the weekends to see her so I never get homesick,” Ilic said.
“I get to see my mom whenever I want which is nice because I’m definitely a momma’s boy. I love my mom and since I don’t get to go home a lot, it’s nice to stop by whenever I want,” Janowski said.
Being close to a piece of home is nice but sometimes can be too much. Ilic said it is nice to see her mom but sometimes it feels too much. “It doesn’t usually affect my daily routine,” Ilic said.
Even with all the perks that come along with having parents close by, being under a watchful eye can be tough. Not only is getting in trouble easier for the student, but what about a parent’s reputation with co-workers and bosses?
“I know I should worry about how I reflect on her but in the past I would tend to forget that what I did would reflect on her. I realize that now that I’m older and I do think it’s important so I try to keep a good repuation,” Janowski said.
At a college so small, the faculty and students have close relationships. It can be difficult to act as if nobody else is affected in the way one acts.
“So many students and faculty know my mom so I would never want to get in trouble to give her a bad reputation or anything,” Ilic said.
